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“Better a boss, who’s in control, than a sniveling grunt who fucked his own boss over.” The masked man took a step forward. “You can’t even pull that trigger, stronzo.”

It happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to scream.

Andy, face contorted in fury, lunged forward. His finger curled around the trigger. The life I was so close to embracing flashed before my eyes before it blinked out forever.

A loud thunk rang through the kitchen.

I was frozen. My brain didn’t have time to register that it was a blunt object and not the bang of a gun. The scuffle of bodies was muted. I couldn’t make out the two shapes, one white and the other black, as they scuffled on the floor.

“She’s going to faint!” Nonna gasped from somewhere.

Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders, and I was lowered onto something hard.

“No, not the chair! She’ll fall off,” Nonna insisted.

I was gently transferred to the floor. My head was shoved between my legs.

“Breathe, Rose,” darkness growled. “Just breathe for me, okay?”

Acid burned my throat. I was going to puke.

Squeezing my eyes tight, I forced air into my lungs as my head pressed against my legs.

There was a shuffle of movement.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Nonna hissed.

Her words were coupled with another thunk.

I jerked my head to the side, escaping the tight hold on the back of it. I looked into the beautiful face, the face that wasn’t wearing a mask, the one that was turned away to focus on a body sprawled out on my grandmother’s tile floor.

“He shot you,” I whimpered.

The face of the monster turned to me. “Almost, Rose. He almost shot me.”

I threw my arms around the don’s neck, burying my face in his hold. “I can’t lose you.”

Lucian Ravello wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. “Thanks to your nonna, that isn’t happening.”

It was all I could do to focus on my breathing. The fact that my ancient grandmother was towering over my undead husband’s body with a frying pan, that the man who’d been breaking into the house was the freaking don of the mafia, and that it was nearly Christmas didn’t compute.

There was only me and the man hugging me back.

“Uliva, can you pour her a whiskey?” Lucian rumbled.

I was shaking hard, but I managed to peep up at my grandma in her nighty. I was sure she would tell him that she didn’t have hard liquor in her house. It was what she’d repeatedly told me, which was why I kept my tequila safely upstairs.

But with pursed lips, Nonna ambled over to the counter, reached in the back of a bottom cabinet, and produced an amber bottle.

If I’d had the strength to confront her, I would have.

“Here,” she said, bringing over two shot glasses, while lifting a third in salute. “Cin cin!”

I let the whiskey breathe fire into my veins. Only once the oaky goodness spread through my chest did I push back onto my knees.

Andy was passed out on the floor. Nonna still held her weapon, ready to unleash hell if he should come to, and the don of the local mafia stared cautiously at me, gauging my reaction.

“What the hell do we do now?” I rasped.